Getting my R

In a few hours I will officially be an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer). I've had my work cut out for me the past few days. I left Bormase at 5am Monday morning. Sunday was full of fun, playing spa (a local card game) and football. Much of the community came out to the school site where I received a smock from the village bicycle project participants. It was very hard to realize how many things I would be doing for the last time.

I had my last bucket bath by starlight. I went to sit at the borehole though I didn't need to fetch water. I went to visit many friends for the last time. Too many lasts to count.

My mind is awash with memories and I'm sure I haven't even begun to miss my village like I will. I've been busy getting administrative things done in Accra. I'm closing out proposals for the bead workshop (only flooring needs to be completed) and the school (blackboards and some plastering still needed) and submitted my Description of Service and site history reports. I've been poked and prodded and given a variety of samples. I had a chest x-ray to prove that my inactive TB didn't become active TB. So much so quickly.

I'm hoping to get out of Accra today. Cheri and I will go to Kumasi this evening, to Tamale the following day and to her village Kpendua on Friday. We plan to venture toward the beach on Monday. More whirlwind touring. I want to get a day of surfing in before I leave Africa. I have a goal to become the worlds worst surfer to have surfed on six continents. I have two continents down and the upcoming trip will take care of the rest. I'm flying to Turkey in ten days and hope to get my mind out of my village before then. We'll see how that goes.

Though my Peace Corps journey is coming to an end, I plan to keep blogging. I'll update the blog through my third straight Christmas away from home and the many adventures that I can't yet imagine.

Thank you all for following this blog. I've enjoyed writing more than I expected I would.

Love to all, more to come.

Ira

Going away dinner

I'm in Kof buying the last cement for the school and bead projects.

Yesterday, Dorothy, Raphael, Stephen, Paul, Johnny, Michael and I enjoyed a day in celebration of my time in Bormase. We had minerals and biscuits for lunch and slaughtered a rabbit for dinner.

Emmanuel joined in time for fufu with delicious rabbit meat. Stephen and Raphael will leave today and I likely won't see them again before I leave. I hope to see them again ever.

The day included carrying handfuls of 8 week old chickens from a tro to the chicken coop. I was attacked by another mama hen as I tried to save it's chick (a few days old) while the chick hung upside down by it's clawnail.

I did wash by hand for one of the last times. I've been taking photos like a maniac, trying to get what seems mundane but will be so strange soon. A sheep munching away at a plantain leaf, a toothless old woman walking barefoot to the store. I sure will miss this place.

Love to all.
Ira

Peace Corps emotional swings

I've been visiting with some of my best Peace Corps friends during their last days in country.

As the one in the group who would be going back for more work at site, I expressed the feeling that always accompanies time away from site.

I told my friends that when I leave, I feel guilty for being away and become eager to go back. When it's time to go back, I dread it a bit, savoring the running water, company and electricity. When I finally get on the road, I'm excited to get back to my friends in the village. When I'm in Bormase, I love it and wonder why I dreaded my return. When the time comes for me to leave site for any reason, I'm eager to leave.

I thought that this process would stop after a few months but it's lasted the full time. When I expressed it aloud, it was received with emphatic nods and wholehearted agreement. It's hard to understand the emotional swings but they come with the territory.

Seeing my friends leave is sad. I don't know when I'll see them again and most of them have no idea what they'll do when they get home. We've all spent time talking about how long a Peace Corps service is. We counted down months and now it's time to go. Each experience is fully unique and unexplainable. Here's to two years and a lifetime of failing to explain what it was like.

Love to all.
Ira

Same country, different world

A few days ago, I attended a Columbia Admissions info session in Accra. For just over 25 dollars, I was able to transform myself back in the business casual guy I was before Peace Corps. New shoes, trousers, belt, tie and shirt allowed me to ensure that at least one aspect of my presence wouldn't stand out too much.

Assistant Dean and Executive Director of Admissions, Linda Meehan hosted the event, giving a detailed run down of the program and opening the floor to questions. I sat among about fifty other guests, ranging from recent university graduates to World Bank employees to company owning Columbia alums. The session reaffirmed my belief that Columbia is the school for me. Ms. Meehan was funny and very accommodating, giving valuable information to future applicants as well as those of us mid-application process.

I was able to ask a few questions but when the formal aspect of the event ended, I planned to ask a few more questions of Ms. Meehan but was cut off by other attendees and questions about Peace Corps and what brought me to the event.

After two years in the bush, it was eye opening to meet accountants and financial advisers educated in the UK and the US. Though I didn't quite fit the target demographic, I felt that I got a lot out of the event. Seeing the dedication that Columbia has to creating a diverse, balanced class was very important to me. Though the application is out of my hands, it was nice to get a better feel of what the program offers and what it can provide.

On another note, I recently had to bite the bullet and buy myself a new camera. I am now on my third camera of Peace Corps. It took some serious rationalizing on my part for me to allow myself to pay inflated Accra prices. In the end, I decided that the photos I'll take during my last 3 weeks in country and during the first leg of my round the world trip.

I've added more photos. Unrelated to the entry but still nice.






Love to all,
Ira

Guinea Pigs

I thought that it would be nice to COS a few weeks after most of my friends. By allowing them to leave first, I thought I would have a chance to learn from their mistakes and confusion when leaving their respective villages. Instead, I get to watch my friends leave and freak out and figure out the tumult of emotions that await me.

Last week, I went to visit Cheri in Kpendua and Gray in his village in the Upper West. Cheri and I wanted to see the Upper West and were lucky enough to be there on the day of his going away celebration. Gray recently had latrines built at the JHS and Primary Schools in his village and a big celebration was held in his honor. The emotions involved were unbelievable and I had never been to the village before.

When I got back to Bormase, three new classrooms were constructed and had shiny zinc roofs over them. Every bit of construction that was planned had been completed and the excitement was palpable.

Yesterday, the Catholic priest pulled me from my reading time to discuss some important matters. He told me to be careful with my project because contractors, masons and carpenters often pad numbers in order to chop money and materials. He has been in the area for 7 years and knows how things work.

I didn't appreciate this advice at all!! Though this priest has been perfectly friendly and helpful throughout my time here, he hasn't lived and worked among the friends that are now helping with the construction. I know that Ghana is known for corruption and recently had to deal with my drunk chief asking for handouts but why come to me now?

I'm a bit sensitive about this I know but having him drive up on his motorbike (the other priest had the truck) on his way back to his nice house only to tell me about how villagers can be really rubbed me the wrong way.

As far as I can tell, the bead center and school are coming along as planned. No materials have gone missing and we are below budget so far.

My camera spoiled somehow during my last travels so I'll have to figure out a way to get final photos. Below are pictures just for pictures' sake.







-Through the windshield, looking at the wood we just picked up.
-The courtyard in front of my house with my neighbor Patience strolling around (taken through the doggie door)
-Me with Sweetie
-Harvesting Moringa (practicing the timer on my camera)
Love to all

Ira

Timing is everything

A fellow Ghana PCV left about 5 months ago to pursue a graduate school scholarship. About a week ago, he sent an e-mail to a number of us, updating us on what he's been up to. He lamented about the economy, the mundane and the reaction he got from friends. I don't know if it was intentional but he sent this e-mail as many other volunteers are preparing to leave for home.

Two volunteers from my group have officially closed their services (COSed). They had their respective home issues and received permission to go home more than 30 days ahead of our official NOv. 26 COS date. Almost nobody has an idea of what they plan/hope to do when they get home. We have different degrees of COS trip plans. A large group will meet in Barcelona shortly after Thanksgiving and will take a low cost, off season cruise to Galveston, Texas. As of now, I have a one way ticket to Istanbul November 28 and a plan to figure out what comes next. I'll meet my Dad in France mid to late December and will meet Cheri for a flight from London to Delhi mid January. I hope to travel until May. HOPEFULLY I will hear good news about grad school before this time but we shall see.

Projects are going well. I'm still trying to balance work and planning my re-adjustment yet again.

Love to all!!

Ira

Submitted

Two days ago, I submitted my early decision application for Fall 2010 at Columbia Business School. It's been quite a process and it feels SO good to have it sumbitted. I got some editing done when not running the VAC meeting in Accra. The meeting went well but I wasn't as close to finished as I hoped I would be.

I went to Kumasi to get more internet/electricity time but the power was out for the bulk of the time I was there. I was able to edit in spurts only to wait as many as 10 hours for the power to come back. The day before the application was due, I uploaded my final essays (thanks to Rob, Justin, Gray, Will, Nick, Tycho, Cheri and Martha for their help) but couldn't upload my transcript. Though my transcript is far from the highlight of my application, it's still required. I sent a tech support request and got a reply saying that it would be processed within 4 business hours. To kill those 4 hours, I jumped on a tro to Koforidua, arrived 4 hours later and arrived at almost the exact same time as the tech support reply.

I got my application submitted a day before the deadline and recently got an update telling me that my application has been printed and is being prepared for review.

The next step will be to attend an information session in Accra on October 28. Accra is one of only 3 African cities to host a Columbia info session so I feel very lucky in that regard. The director of admissions will be in attendance so I can help her put a face to my name.

As far as PC projects, they are also going very well. When I left for my meeting, Patrick had a schedule of steps to take towards completing the school project. When I got back yesterday with 30 more bags of cement, I was happy to see that everything planned had been completed beautifully. Three carpenters were hard at work. The foundation and frame were completed and the carpenters and masons plan to work every day until the work is done. Though a construction project can't really be considered sustainable development, it's nice to know that the community worked so well together in my absence.

The bead center has taken a back seat but only needs a bit more work for completion. My Moringa farm is flourishing and I will honestly miss my trees. I've been harvesting and drying leaves but haven't found a proper market outside Bormase.

And my toe is healing quickly!!
Feeling great!!

Love to all
Ira